Guides on Philippines?

**AqD** · August 09, 2015, 02:06 PM

Any Filipinos here? I just came back and in need of guides for preparation of next visit (Cebu).

- Is it common to hire (non-professional) local as guide for city tour in weekends? I wish to hire someone I know but don't want to be seen as weird or odd...

- How safe is the large bottled water provided in water shops? I have a bad feeling about it because those shops don't look clean and there are also bad stories about such water in my own country

- What's the substitute of milk at breakfast? I can only find very expensive ESL in supermarkets, no fresh milk.

- Can I trust the alcohol at random bars aside road? (not those in malls)

- Where can I buy sanitary masks? I'm going to need a lot of them for daily walking...

- Who are the people who live under bridge? I saw lots of houses on the riverside beneath bridges but there is no road connecting them to the city itself!

**Erwin Rommel** · August 09, 2015, 08:09 PM

Dont get unprofessional guides. Ok if its in the beaches and maybe for a short duration like get you to an exclusive island then yeah maybe its ok, but if its around cities, I'd not recommend that. Best be sticking to guys you know in Cebu who know the place.

Theres always 7-11 or other 24/7 stores for large bottled water needs.

Again..... 7-11, its Cebu so there will be lots of them I think. (Then again Im basing this on Naga, a really more small city but

is it saturated with 7/11s at every damn corner.)

Yeah, you can trust em, as long as they come in bottles

You can buy masks at drug stores. (Mercury Drug and South Star Drug)

Guys from provinces that are trying to find work in the metropolitan Cebu, or just recently displaced by the typhoon or fire.

**AqD** · August 09, 2015, 10:16 PM

PS: It's a very beautiful girl

The closest 7-11 is about 2 km away from our office (residential zone I think, many 2-floor houses), and I only saw Rose Pharmacy in malls.

It seems there are even more houses on riverside than on the roads, both sides of riverside are completely filled:

View from top:

Code:

  ...
***** ~ *****
***** ~ *****
***** ~ ***** (far below the bridge)
----------------
    Bridge
----------------
***** ~ *****
***** ~ *****
***** ~ *****
  ...

View from side:

Code:

    Bridge   
---------------
 \           /
  \*       */
   \*     */
    \*   */
     \*~*/

*: Houses

It looks like a big valley and houses are everywhere on the riverside. Probably more than 100 meters below normal ground. There is no road and no car there - it looks like a different world.

I'll show you the photo next time. It's really unusual!

**Erwin Rommel** · August 11, 2015, 11:24 AM

2km. Damn. In Cebu? Are you way out in the suburbs or something?

As for the river dwellings, yeah probably squatters. Tbh, i dont see much of that too, i mean before yes, but ever since typhoons are now the norm, authorities are relocating people (By force. they dont like the new housing because its too far away in the city centers). Well its Cebu, its not on a typhoon path most of the time.

I only saw Rose Pharmacy in malls.

I hear that at 3pm the malls pause to air the prayer for the Divine Mercy....in Visayas or Cebu mainly...

PS: It's a very beautiful girl

Cool. Its customary in filipino culture to do selfies in gratuitous levels, preferably at beaches.

**AqD** · August 12, 2015, 10:52 AM

Originally Posted by Erwin Rommel

2km. Damn. In Cebu? Are you way out in the suburbs or something?

Huh? 2km is considered extremely short-distance in Taipei! At least I wouldn't need a taxi although it feels like climbing small mountain on my way out to the downtown. Our residence-office is close to the seemly-great Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which I haven't visited yet.

Originally Posted by Erwin Rommel

As for the river dwellings, yeah probably squatters. Tbh, i dont see much of that too, i mean before yes, but ever since typhoons are now the norm, authorities are relocating people (By force. they dont like the new housing because its too far away in the city centers). Well its Cebu, its not on a typhoon path most of the time.

But that place seems isolated unless they swim from the river to the sea. I'll take photos as soon as I go back!

Originally Posted by Erwin Rommel

I hear that at 3pm the malls pause to air the prayer for the Divine Mercy....in Visayas or Cebu mainly...

Nope, everyone is having lunch at 3pm in the malls, or listening to some speech and sometimes they play songs (national songs??) in the hall.

Originally Posted by Erwin Rommel

Cool. Its customary in filipino culture to do selfies in gratuitous levels, preferably at beaches.

Lie! I don't see anyone doing that in Cebu, unlike in Osaka where every japaneses hold a selfie stick and seem to be live streaming themselves all day.

**Erwin Rommel** · August 13, 2015, 12:00 PM

Lie! I don't see anyone doing that in Cebu,

Hmm, probably just a Luzon/Boracay thing ahahahah.

Oh and dont try speaking filipino i guess. Its Cebu (Oldtown), they dont like that artificial language imposed on them by Imperial Manila (Kingslanding).

English should suffice.

**AqD** · August 13, 2015, 08:34 PM

So what's the local language they speak? Some of them outside of malls and hotels cannot seem to understand English at all.

**AqD** · August 28, 2015, 07:22 PM

Here are pictures of the riverside:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

BTW I noticed there are very distinct facial types in Philippine girls but not men (except the chinese type), why is that?

**Erwin Rommel** · August 30, 2015, 05:20 PM

Whoa! Like a favela lol

As for language its Visaya, coz your in Visayas.

BTW I noticed there are very distinct facial types in Philippine girls but not men (except the chinese type), why is that?

Oh? Can you elaborate.

Oh btw how's traffic? I hear its pretty bad coz of APEC and since your in Cebu, aside from obligatory selfies, do indulge in lechon, common, its kosher.

**AqD** · September 01, 2015, 06:43 AM

Some girls look very local - like Filipinos in Taiwan. Others look like Taiwanese aboriginals, and some look half-Spanish (or Italian?), like the one I like. BTW my plan is aborted because I actually confused two girls who have the same face and same very beautiful eyes. So no more selfie, I feel like a moron now and don't know what to do next

The traffic is awful. There are cars already as early as 5AM and it's impossible to drive or find a taxi during rush hour. So I just walk from my office to the malls everyday. The city seems tiny as I can walk from the northern district to Colon (the seaport?) in 2 hours.

BTW do you know why they put a child stature (Jesus?) in all the places where Jesus is supposed to be put? And what's with the archangel stature below? He looks a better god than Jesus but I never saw anything like that. Is it safe to put that in my room?

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

**Erwin Rommel** · September 03, 2015, 03:09 PM

Its kinda there unofficial patron saint (even though its child Jesus, not exactly a saint)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santo_Niño_de_Cebú

Lol arch angel statue, yeah why not, if you look further you might even see Tsinoys with Guan Yu and Sto. Nino side by side ahaha.

**AqD** · September 06, 2015, 07:51 AM

he looks cute just like baby groot!

BTw i came across to a huge green field when i adventured into a supposedly shortcut which turns out to be almost impassable, with many lovely goats threr:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: